Organizing paperwork

[dsal]

Since booking this first cruise I've amassed quite the amount of paperwork, and I'm guessing there's more to come. I have printed notes of tips I learned on this forum :) , my plane etickets, glossy cruise book, packing list, cruise paperwork, travel insurance policy, etc.

 

Just wondering what tips you can share on your personal filing system for all this stuff: in a notebook? A little portable file, etc.? And how do you store and bring your necessary paperwork with you?

 

I'm guessing you'll have great tips! (Right now it's all just tossed into a basket, but I need to organize it.)

 

Thx,

dsal

[olemissreb]

Right now all of my cruise stuff is in a manilla file folder. I need to get it out and put it in a small 3 ring binder. I should have room in my carry-on for it so I don't lose any of the information. I figure in the 3 ring binder, I can put dividers in so I can have a section for excursions, flights, hotels, gifts-n-gear etc.

 

Have you joined the Roll Call for your cruise? You may get more ideas from the people you are cruising with.

 

Good luck! Enjoy your first cruise.

[cb at sea]

I stick my BC and online check-in form in an envelope....that's it...don't need any of the other stuff!

[nseagirl]

I have a file folder with inside pockets. I have all of my papers in sheet protectors in the pockets.

[Traveler353]

What mass of paper work? Boarding pass, passport, drivers license, charge card and cash, clothes in a convertable backpack. Simple is always better. Much less stressful.:D

[ehfl]

I only have my SetSail document (1 sheet for the whole party), and our passports. I'm glad I don't have to deal with all that extra stuff.

[Treven]

I have my paperwork in order that they will be needed. Super Shuttle, airlines e-ticket, passport, shuttle at the end to hotel or cruiseport, boarding pass, shuttle to the airport, e-ticket, passport, Super Shuttle from airport to home.

Yes, I am rather anal.

[Roadtripster]

Yes, we have a lot of paperwork too. Seems like all our excursions have to have us print out a voucher, etickets for the 3 flights we have to take, hotel confirmations, etc...

 

Right now I have a 5 section notebook with pockets and have each section a port. All info pertaining to that day, goes in the pocket or all my notes are on the pieces of paper.

 

Once we travel, I have a bigger size envelope for each day and have each one numbered in order of days and have info written on the outside of the envelope too. Inside, I have the confirmation printouts, the plane tickets, money, etc....

 

I keep each envelope in the safe until it is time to use that days. When the day is over, I have any new info written on the back of the envelope, receipts in it, etc... so when I get home, I know exactly how much I spent each day.

 

As for carrying my passport, tickets etc.... I have a handy Vera Bradley zipper pouch that holds credit cards, pen slot, money area, and the passports fit perfectly in there too. Has a handy wrist strap for when I am going through the airport and need to keep digging into it.

 

Similar to this....

http://www.verabradley.com/product/Collection/Signature/Zip-Around-Wallet/154774/defaultColor/Symphony%20in%20Hue/pc/640/p/154774/sc/683/c/0.uts

[PictureMom]

On my last cruise I used a small expandable file for all that stuff. You know the size you might file coupons in. It's about the size of a envelope. It has tabs that you can label and keep everything organized. I am an organization freak and this worked extremely well! I knew where everything was and didn't have to go searching for anything. I labeled the different sections: passports, hotel info. (for before and/or after the cruise), cruise documents, excursions, flight information etc. You can find these at Target or Walmart. I am cruising again in April and have already started filling mine up as I get organized for this trip. You will find this very helpful if you are looking for a great way to organize. Good luck and have a great time!

[dsal]

What mass of paper work? Boarding pass, passport, drivers license, charge card and cash, clothes in a convertable backpack. Simple is always better. Much less stressful.:D

 

 

Well--perhaps you drive to port, but we live across the country. In addition to the items you listed above, we'll have airline tickets, hotel reservation confirmation sheet (for night before cruise), cruise insurance paperwork, perhaps confirmation sheets for excursions, copy of my medical necessity form for bringing on medical equipment, etc. Please don't assume that everyone can be as light a traveler as you--yet it's nice if that works for you.

 

Thanks to everyone else for your helpful tips! Please keep them coming!

 

dsal

[Essiesmom]

I print out stuff and put in a file envelope. I also cut the deck plans out of the brochure and bring them along. I also keep a calendar with where the ship will be when...and what other ships are supposed to be in port with us. I print a copy of it and bring it along. Sometimes it is difficult to remember what day of the week it is...As things 'expire', such as hotel reservations, I can dispose of the papers. EM

[erinmarie424]

I found a sturdy 10 pocket folder yesterday at Big Lots - here's how I think I'll set up the pockets:

 

1. Airplane boarding passes

2. Hotel confirmation

3. Tampa info

4. Fun Passes

5-8. Port information (reservations, maps, etc)

9. Airplane confirmations for return trip

10. Insurance information

 

I used to use one envelope and just stack everything in the order it would need to be used but I always wanted to fish something out of the middle and it rarely went back where it came from. I think the folder I picked up yesterday will work better for me, and will only take up about as much room in my backpack as a magazine, even when full.

 

Have fun!

Erin

[Traveler353]

Well--perhaps you drive to port, but we live across the country. In addition to the items you listed above, we'll have airline tickets, hotel reservation confirmation sheet (for night before cruise), cruise insurance paperwork, perhaps confirmation sheets for excursions, copy of my medical necessity form for bringing on medical equipment, etc. Please don't assume that everyone can be as light a traveler as you--yet it's nice if that works for you.

 

Thanks to everyone else for your helpful tips! Please keep them coming!

 

dsal

 

 

Yes I do drive thank goodness. I live half way between NOLA and Mobile. And not everyone needs to bring the kitchen sink.;)

[riffatsea]

I keep my passport/airline boarding passes credit cards and ship boarding pass in a travel wallet around my neck.

I don't bring all the paperwork for tours,hotel confirmations etc

Instead I just copy the confirmation nos.,addresses, contact phone nos. into my travel journal where I also have written port info . I travel often on land as well as by cruise ship and so I find that the less papers I bring along, the easier it is for me to find what I need.

[euro cruiser]

I use a thin, flexible sided three ring binder. I use sheet protectors, so I don't have to punch holes in my documents, and put everything in the order I think I'll need it.

 

I carry a lot of information with me about each port, as well as hotels before/after the cruise. After each stop I toss the paper associated with it, so that by the end of the trip I'm down to just key travel information.

[dsal]

I. I also cut the deck plans out of the brochure and bring them along. I also keep a calendar with where the ship will be when...and what other ships are supposed to be in port with us. EM

 

Great idea about cutting out the deck plans, and now I think I'll do the same. :) Just wondering, why do you keep track of what other ships will be sharing the port(s)?

 

thx,

dsal

[Warmer Climes]

I have my paperwork in order that they will be needed. Super Shuttle, airlines e-ticket, passport, shuttle at the end to hotel or cruiseport, boarding pass, shuttle to the airport, e-ticket, passport, Super Shuttle from airport to home.

Yes, I am rather anal.

 

Ditto!:)

[Essiesmom]

Great idea about cutting out the deck plans, and now I think I'll do the same. :) Just wondering, why do you keep track of what other ships will be sharing the port(s)?

 

thx,

dsal

Several reasons...I am a ship junkie, just as there are trainspotters for steam locomotives...Plus, I belong to another cruise forum where we 'stalk' our members when they are cruising, and we need to know which ships may be in port with webcams. And it is nice to know how busy the port will be...EM

[printingchick]

Being the obsessive planner that I am, I too have collected much paperwork. Some isn't necessary to bring, just printed out for interest sake. However, other documents are critical.

• Off-site airport parking - pre-paid receipt.
  
• Directions to off-site airport parking.
  
• Airline tickets/boarding passes
  
• Cruise check-in passes
  
• Booked tour vouchers/info
  
• Taxi/ferry rate sheets for various islands, to avoid being over-charged.
  

The list goes on... I typically have brought one large folder of paperwork, but this year, I've gathered individual folders for each set of paperwork. One for airport parking/airline tickets. One for ship documents. One for each port of call.

 

I like that notebook idea someone mentioned. That's a lot cleaner. I may look at doing something like that instead!

 

THANKS!!

[MoYerclan]

Great idea about cutting out the deck plans, and now I think I'll do the same. :) Just wondering, why do you keep track of what other ships will be sharing the port(s)?

 

thx,

dsal

 

that's something I wouldn't bother to do since every ship I've ever been on has display boards readily available to find your way. I also have studied the deck plans before the cruise so feel comfortable ahead of time. Don't over complicate things.

I print the bare minimum of any reservation or excursion arrangement using the back and front of the page for different needs. I will pen a quick "Car Rental" or "Pre-Cruise Hotel" on the page top to find it quickly. Even better is that the pages are easily disposed of when not needed after. I've also emailed documents to myself so that if I might need them I can easily pull them up from any hotel or ship's computer. I have never needed one.

[McDebbie]

For Alaska I put the port info on 3x5 cards and stuck them in my purse. Tour operator phone number, places we wanted to eat and places I wanted to shop. Someone suggested putting them on 4x6 cards and putting them in one of those cheap little photo albums which was a good idea but I didn't do it.

 

I see many of you said you tossed those things after the day was over but you might want to keep them or have back ups at home. A few years from now you might want to remember what hotel that was you stayed at. :D I keep mine now in an envelope with the dailies, etc - oh and the bar tab. That will be a hoot to look at in years to come.

[yorkiemomjn]

Several reasons...I am a ship junkie, just as there are trainspotters for steam locomotives...Plus, I belong to another cruise forum where we 'stalk' our members when they are cruising, and we need to know which ships may be in port with webcams. And it is nice to know how busy the port will be...EM

 

 

I would love to know about other cruise forums. Do you mind posting that info?

 

Thank you!:)

Judy

[agabbymama]

as erinmarie posted, I found a 30 pocket (month) expandable file folder at Big Lots. There were plastic dividers with a slot for title, but a little more flexible and less weight than a binder. We were 1 day in Paris, 3 pre-cruise days in Rome, 12 day cruise, 2 post days in Venice, and 2 more days in Paris. We were gone from home 21 days, and we had lots of air e-tickets, cruise tickets, passports, tour vouchers, maps for each port, plus info on the various things we wanted to be sure and see in each port. I put the air travel documents in one pocket, each city stop had it's own pocket, cruise documents in another pocket, and each port stop had it's own pocket. I bought little travel guides for the main ports (Rome, Naples, Athens, Venice, Monte Carlo & Paris which we left in the hotel rooms on our departure as they were just too heavy to keep lugging around after use). But that little expandable file folder was full to the brim upon our departure from LAX. I carried it in my carry-on, but once on the ship left it in the cabin and pitched a lot of the stuff as each day went by. It was almost empty by the time we came home.

 

Each traveler is entitled to be as anal in their planning as they want to be. If I were just going on a short Caribbean cruise, maybe I wouldn't need all the info, but when you are planning an extended trip with many varied and interesting ports, I am not going to rely on memory as to how to get to something.

 

So OP, go for it, do whatever planning you feel is necessary for you to enjoy your cruise. Have a great one!

[jaybird from SC]

I found a sturdy 10 pocket folder yesterday at Big Lots - here's how I think I'll set up the pockets:

 

1. Airplane boarding passes

2. Hotel confirmation

3. Tampa info

4. Fun Passes

5-8. Port information (reservations, maps, etc)

9. Airplane confirmations for return trip

10. Insurance information

 

I used to use one envelope and just stack everything in the order it would need to be used but I always wanted to fish something out of the middle and it rarely went back where it came from. I think the folder I picked up yesterday will work better for me, and will only take up about as much room in my backpack as a magazine, even when full.

 

Have fun!

Erin

Same here...We file them in the order that they will be needed and so far the system has worked.

[luvscruising2007]

I start a report type folder with pockets the day I start thinking

about a cruise. I put all info and receipts in the folder as I

collect it. For example, right now I have my carnival invoice

showing deposit paid and balance due. I have printed off info

about excursions in the ports we will visit. And, I have a copy

of the deck plan where our cabin is.

The day we leave home I collect what I will need on the trip,

passport, set sail pass, any tickets and/or invoices and put

them in a zippy pouch that fits in my purse.

The folder is packed in a suitcase and comes with us.

It works for me.